Let’s be honest: when we heard Mark Fischbach (aka Markiplier) was making a horror movie about a submarine in an ocean of blood, most of us didn’t know what to expect. Would it be a glorified YouTube skit with a budget? A vanity project? Or actually… good?
Well, the numbers are in, and they are staggering. Markiplier’s Iron Lung just pulled in a projected $17 million on its opening weekend. For a self-financed indie horror flick with a budget of under $3 million, that isn’t just a success; it’s a message to Hollywood. But box office numbers don’t tell you if a movie is actually worth your two hours (and ten minutes).
I caught the film this weekend, and I’ve been scouring the internet to see what everyone else is saying. There is a lot of noise out there—die-hard fans claiming it’s a masterpiece and critics tearing it apart for being a "slog." So, let’s cut through the hype and talk about what this movie actually is.
The "YouTuber Movie" Stigma: Shattered?
For years, the "YouTuber movie" has been a punchline. But we’ve seen shifts recently. You had the RackaRacka brothers blow everyone away with Talk to Me, and now Markiplier is taking a swing. But unlike Talk to Me, which was a traditional film production, Iron Lung is pure Markiplier. He wrote it, directed it, produced it, edited it, and starred in it.
That is a double-edged sword. On one hand, you get an unfiltered vision. There is no studio executive telling him to tone down the blood (we’ll get to the blood later). On the other hand, you lose the safety net of having someone tell you, "Hey Mark, maybe this scene doesn't need to be ten minutes long."
The result is something that feels incredibly personal but also undeniably rough around the edges. It’s not a polished Hollywood product, and for many of us, that’s the appeal. But if you’re walking in expecting The Hunt for Red October with jump scares, you’re going to be confused.
The Lore
If you haven’t played David Szymanski’s 2022 game, you might be a little lost. The movie does its best to explain things, but let’s set the stage because the lore is actually the strongest part of this entire project.
The premise is terrifyingly simple. It’s the future, and something called the Quiet Rapture has happened. In an instant, all the stars and habitable planets in the universe just… vanished. No bang, no war, just gone. Humanity is clinging to life on space stations and barren moons, slowly dying out.
The only hope? A moon discovered with an ocean. But it’s not water. It’s human blood.
Mark plays Simon, a convict who is given a "choice": rot in prison or pilot a rinky-dink, rusting submarine called the Iron Lung into this blood ocean to find resources. It’s a suicide mission. The sub is welded shut from the outside. The front window is boarded up because it can't handle the pressure, so you have to navigate using a grainy camera and a map.
It is cosmic horror at its finest. The idea that the universe is dead and we are scavenging through blood to survive is bleak, metal, and perfect for a movie.
Visuals and Atmosphere: A Claustrophobic Nightmare
Visually, this movie punches way above its weight class. The set design is fantastic. The submarine feels heavy, industrial, and cramped. It doesn’t look like a set; it looks like a coffin.
Mark smarty leaned into the limitations of the setting. Since you can’t see outside, the horror comes from what you don't see. The use of the submarine’s navigation camera is brilliant. There are moments where you are staring at a grainy, black-and-white screen, waiting for something to move, and the tension is palpable.
Iron Lung Trailer From Markiplier YouTuber Channel
And then there is the blood. Mark famously claimed he wanted to break the record for the most fake blood in a horror movie, beating the Evil Dead remake. He wasn’t joking. When things go wrong (and they do), the screen is practically dripping red. It’s visceral and gross in the best way possible.
Also, a huge shoutout to the sound design and the score by Andrew Hulshult. If you know him from Doom Eternal, you know he brings the heat. The audio does a lot of the heavy lifting here, making the submarine feel like it’s groaning under the pressure of the ocean.
The Elephant
Here is where we have to be real. The movie is 2 hours and 10 minutes long.
The original game takes about an hour to beat. Stretching that thin narrative into a feature-length film was always going to be a risk, and honestly, it doesn't fully work.
Critics have been hammering this point, calling it a "slog". And they aren't entirely wrong. There are long stretches of the movie where we are just watching Mark turn knobs, look at coordinates, and heavy breathe. In a game, this works because you are the one doing it. You feel the stress. Watching someone else do it for 20 minutes is a different story.
The pacing hits a wall around the 45-minute mark. It feels like the movie spins its wheels, repeating the same beats to pad out the runtime. A ruthless editor could have cut 30 minutes out of this and made a tighter, punchier thriller.
As for Mark’s acting? It’s… fine. He’s committed, 100%. But there are moments where it feels like he’s acting with a capital A. When he’s screaming or panicking, it can feel a bit forced, reminding you that you’re watching a YouTuber rather than a seasoned actor. However, in the quieter moments, he actually brings a surprising amount of depth and dread.
The Internet War: Fans vs. Everyone Else
You can’t talk about this movie without talking about the reaction. The Rotten Tomatoes score is likely going to stay split forever. Critics are hovering around the 40-50% mark, while the audience score is skyrocketing near 90%.
This has caused a bit of a war online. On Reddit and Twitter, hardcore fans are attacking anyone who offers even mild criticism. I’ve seen people getting jumped on for giving it a 6/10, which is wild because a 6 is still a positive review!.
Look, we get it. We love Mark. He’s a humble guy who put his own money on the line to make his dream project. We want him to win. But blindly defending the movie’s flaws doesn’t help anyone. It’s okay to admit that the pacing is slow or that the dialogue is sometimes mumbled. It doesn’t make you a "fake fan."
Mark himself has always preached kindness and respect, so seeing fans go toxic mode to defend Iron Lung feels ironic. You can love the creator and still think the movie needed a better editor.
Box Office: A Victory for Indie Cinema
Regardless of whether the movie is a masterpiece or a mess, its success is a massive W for the industry.
We are living in a time where huge studios are afraid to take risks. They only want sequels and reboots. Markiplier proving that you can take a niche indie game, self-finance a movie, and make $17 million on opening weekend is a game-changer.
For a deeper dive into the numbers and how this indie project shattered expectations, read our full analysis of Markiplier’s successful $3 million gamble.
It shows that the "creator economy" is real power. If you build a loyal community, you don’t need Warner Bros. or Disney. You can distribute it yourself. This opens the door for other creators to take serious swings at traditional media.
The Verdict: Should You Watch It?
So, is Iron Lung worth the price of a ticket?
Go see it if:
- You are a Markiplier fan. Obviously. You’re going to support him, and you’ll enjoy seeing him on the big screen.
- You love atmospheric, cosmic horror. The concept of the Quiet Rapture and the blood ocean is worth the admission price alone.
- You want to support indie cinema and non-traditional filmmaking.
Wait for streaming if:
- You are impatient. The pacing is slow, and if you aren’t already invested in the lore, you might find yourself checking your watch.
- You expect a traditional horror movie. This is more of a psychological drama in a sub than a monster movie.
Final Score: 6.5/10
It’s an impressive debut that is bogged down by its own ambition. It’s a visual feast with a killer concept, but it desperately needed someone to tell Mark, "Cut that scene down."
But hey, the credits are neat, and there’s no post-credits scene, so you don’t have to sit through the scrolling text if you don’t want to.